- Talks held between Indonesia’s minister, PAF chief.
- Potential deal consists of over 40 JF-17 fighter jets.
- Defence deal covers coaching, strategic dialogue.
Indonesia’s defence minister met Pakistan’s air power chief in Islamabad to debate a possible deal that features the sale of fight jets and killer drones to Jakarta, three safety officers with information of the assembly on Monday stated.
The talks come as Pakistan’s defence trade strikes ahead with a collection of defence procurement negotiations and appears to determine itself as a large regional participant.
Indonesia’s Defence Ministry confirmed the assembly between Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Pakistan’s Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu.
“The assembly targeted on discussing common defence cooperation relations, together with strategic dialogue, strengthening communication between defence establishments, and alternatives for mutually useful cooperation in numerous fields in the long run,” defence ministry spokesperson Brigadier Normal Rico Ricardo Sirait advised Reuters, including the talks had not but led to concrete selections.
One supply stated the talks revolved across the sale of JF-17 jets, a multi-role fight plane collectively developed by Pakistan and China, and killer drones designed for surveillance and hanging targets.
The opposite two sources stated the talks have been in a complicated stage and concerned greater than 40 JF-17 jets. One in every of them stated Indonesia was additionally involved in Pakistan’s Shahpar drones.
The sources didn’t share any discussions about supply timelines and the variety of years a proposed deal would span.
The Pakistani army’s public relations wing didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Indonesia changing ageing air power fleet
One extra safety supply with information of army procurement talks stated Pakistan was discussing the sale of JF-17 Thunder jets, air defence methods, coaching for junior, mid-level, and senior Indonesian air power officers, and engineering employees.
“The Indonesia deal is within the pipeline,” retired Air Marshal Asim Suleiman, who stays briefed on air power offers, advised Reuters, including that the variety of JF-17 jets concerned was near 40.
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto was in Pakistan final month for a two-day go to for talks on bettering bilateral ties, together with defence.
Indonesia has put in a slew of orders for jets prior to now few years, together with 42 French Rafale jets price $8.1 billion in 2022 and 48 KAAN fighter jets from Turkey final yr to strengthen its air power and substitute its ageing air power fleet.
Jakarta has additionally thought of shopping for China’s J-10 fighter jets and is in talks to buy US-made F-15EX jets.
Pakistan’s rising defence trade
Curiosity within the Pakistani army’s weapons improvement programme has surged since its jets have been deployed in a brief battle with India final yr.
The four-day conflict between the 2 nuclear-armed nations noticed Pakistan downing a number of Indian fighter jets, together with French-made Rafale plane.
Pakistan additionally used JF-17 Thunder jets to destroy India’s S-400 air defence system in Adampur by utilizing hypersonic missiles throughout the four-day conflict.
In a gathering with the PAF chief final week, Iraqi Air Power Lieutenant Normal Employees Pilot Mohanad Ghalib Mohammed Radi Al-Asadi expressed eager curiosity in JF-17 Thunder and Tremendous Mushshak coach plane, the Inter-Providers Public Relations (ISPR) stated on January 10.
Previous to that, Bangladesh Air Power Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan held detailed discussions with Air Chief Marshal Sidhu on the potential procurement of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets.
The fighter jet was additionally the spotlight of final yr’s Dubai Airshow 2025, the place a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with a pleasant nation for its procurement, the army’s media wing on the time.
